Pettis will lock horns with Jackson’s
Mixed Martial Arts standout and fellow WEC alum Donald
Cerrone in a featured lightweight battle at UFC
on Fox 6 this Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. The
winner will move himself into prime position for a crack at
155-pound gold, though Pettis -- who lost his promotional debut to
Clay
Guida, along with the opportunity the UFC had promised him --
has learned not to count his chickens before they hatch.

“I didn’t get my title shot, but here I am two years later,” he
said during a pre-fight media call. “I believe everything happens
for a reason, and Guida exposed a hole in my game. I’m not worried
about title shots right now. I’m just worried about getting Ws
under my belt after a year off.”

Pettis last fought at UFC 144 in February, when he knocked out “The
Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 semifinalist Joe Lauzon with
a scintillating first-round head kick at the Saitama Super Arena in
Saitama, Japan. A shoulder injury, which required corrective
surgery, has kept him out of commission ever since.

“A year off is a long time,” Pettis said. “It was tough being on
the outside looking in. A guy like Cerrone is a great guy to prove
myself against.”

Cerrone will carry a two-fight winning streak into the cage. The
29-year-old last appeared at UFC 150 in August, when he needed a
little more than a minute to dispatch former teammate Melvin
Guillard at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Cerrone has not
endeared himself to Pettis, having publicly needled the 25-year-old
Roufusport representative while he was sidelined.

“For him to be calling me out while I’m injured, it sucks,” he
said. “I couldn’t really take fights. I had a surgery and took a
while to recover. I want to fight. I come here to fight. I’m not a
guy that runs -- ever. I’m not afraid of anybody in the
division.”

Pettis and Cerrone have combined for 27 finishes in 40 professional
fights between them. Most expect fireworks to ensue once they put
all the pre-fight rhetoric behind them.

“We’re here to sell the fight,” Pettis added. “The fight’s sold.
I’m going to fight, and we’re here to bang. Everyone knows I’m a
flashy fighter and they have a chance to prepare for it. We’ll see
what happens.”

Teixeira on a Rampage

On the cusp of stardom and a Top 10 ranking at 205 pounds, the
33-year-old Brazilian will collide with former UFC light
heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the co-main
event. For Teixeira, who will enter the matchup on the strength of
a 17-fight winning streak, the stakes could not be higher.

“I don’t think about that right now,” he said. “I just think about
this very tough fight. I’m trying to put on a good fight for the
fans.”

Teixeira has been nothing short of dazzling his two Octagon
appearances, as he abused and submitted the
American Kickboxing Academy’s Kyle
Kingsbury with a first-round arm-triangle choke at UFC 146 in
May before handing countryman Fabio
Maldonado a horrific beating en route to a second-round
technical knockout at UFC 153 five months later. In those two
bouts, he out-landed his opposition by a 144-19 margin in total
strikes and 110-15 in significant strikes. The bludgeoning of
Maldonado earned Teixeira the Sherdog.com “Beatdown of the Year”
award for 2012.

Teixeira, who has trained extensively with UFC hall of famer and
MMA icon Chuck Liddell,
has not tasted defeat in nearly eight years. He credits “The
Iceman” for much of his success.

“Chuck has helped me with wrestling and striking,” he said. “He was
a great fighter, and, now, he’s a great coach.”